Surnames from Rare Christian First Names Cover Image

Фамилни имена от редки християнски лични имена
Surnames from Rare Christian First Names

Author(s): Ludwig Selimski
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Semiotics / Semiology, Theoretical Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, South Slavic Languages
Published by: Великотърновски университет „Св. св. Кирил и Методий”
Keywords: surname; Christian first name; stem; name-day

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the origin and meaning of 50 surnames, which are based on 22 Christian first names. The main problems in their analysis are: 1) the identification of the abbreviated forms of first names that we find in the stems of the surnames and 2) their differentiation from homonymous appellatives. We find in the stems of the studied surnames not only Latin/ Italian first names, such as EeHuHolBenino (< lat. benignus 'polite'), BeJZuIJo I Velicho (< ital. felice 'happy') etc., but also such personal names which appear only with certain phonetic peculiarities as Latin / Italian borrowings in Catholic speech, as, for example, HJuiJop I Isidore in stead of HcuiJop, J(ma1<.0Ma I Giacomo in stead of H1<.06 and others. Therefore, the geographical area of the analyzed personal name ( at the stem of a given surname) should be compared not only with the dialect society but also with cultural and historical data about the population, and - if possible - with the corresponding name-day.

  • Issue Year: 16/2020
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 20-36
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: English, Bulgarian